Building social links for your website can be dirty business. You want them to be organic and “white hat” as they say, meaning you don’t want to use money or spam comments to get them. It is the most rewarding, yet most difficult, way to drive traffic to your website. Since any business can build links, the tips below are umbrella tips that can be customized to your businesses’ industry.

Having a plan is the best way to start local link building. When your competitors aren’t focused on the future of their business, it leaves a huge gap where you can take full advantage. A “good” link has 3 key points to look for:

• Links that will drive traffic for business referrals.
• Links that you can share on your social media that will build a relationship with your brand’s target audience.
• Links that build your company’s reputation, and therefore create real-life leads and eventually ROIs.

Create a distinct voice with a conviction.

Causing controversy sounds a bit dramatic and like a lot of PR backlash, but creating good conversation amongst your audience will keep your brand at the forefront instead of falling behind. Also, you want your voice to have continuity so don’t forget who you are representing and why. One big pro to “causing controversy” is the ability to get media attention which creates not only links to your website, but will drive traffic to your social media as well.
Think outside of the marketing box.

Posts, tweets, and promotions are nice but we all know they are really just advertisements. Going above and beyond can create content you never thought of before! Have an idea? Why not do a study at your local college? This can allow you to call the college newspaper and perhaps generate an article for your brand. Even starting things like charity funds can get the right kind of attention your business needs. These ideas can get picked up easily by other media or bloggers and BAM! Links!!

Get your own award.

Not to disillusion you on your favorite burger place that won the “Best of” award last year, but these awards aren’t always legit. It doesn’t make the burger any less delectable but it does change the way you look at the “award industry.” Every city, big and small, has local business awards. Look for opportunities relative to your business and get listed.

Local doesn’t mean least effective.

Getting links from places like news publications or even major publications can provide a lot of traffic to your site, but even unexpected links are worthy. Try your local chamber of commerce. Look into “buttons” for your website for any awards, certificates, vendors and clients that you have worked with and for. The best way to find ways to link locally is generally a Google search.

Examples:

“Nominate a business in (your city or state)”

“Best of (your industry and city or state)”

If you can’t join a club, start one.

It’s the age-old if, “you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” but reversed. Starting a weekly or monthly meeting can create all kinds of links to your website. While it can be considered a networking event, you can also create meet-ups (www.meetup.com) for your specific industry. Are you a bookkeeper? Create a meet-up for those that need help or tips with their bookkeeping. You can also have more general reasons and relate to more people but the best part is it all customized for you!

Tip: Don’t forget, the reason for sponsoring a group is to get your brand, logo and website in the ad.

Building links for you website is so important because it allows you to generate the content you want to represent your company without those unsightly pay-per-click ads that can really hurt your wallet and your website. Thinking outside of the box when it comes to your business gives you a leg up on the competition that isn’t putting energy into those aspects of marketing. There are so many ways to reach your audience and while the end game is a virtual brand, nothing beats hands-on access to the community and that is really where your local links get their heart. While there are many ways that aren’t listed here, there is much more to come in Part 2 so please stay tuned!!